Liquid storage container and cover therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9248658-B2
Application number	US-201414445859-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2014
Priority date	Aug 26, 2013
Publication date	Feb 2, 2016
Grant date	Feb 2, 2016

Abstract

A liquid storage container includes a liquid storage part, a liquid supply part, a liquid outflow part, and a cover. The liquid storage part stores a liquid. The liquid supply part has a liquid supply port defining an opening by which the liquid is supplied to a liquid jet apparatus from the liquid storage part. The liquid outflow part is made of a porous material. The liquid outflow part is disposed inside of the liquid supply port and allows the liquid to flow out to the liquid jet apparatus from the liquid storage part. The cover includes a sealing part contacting with the liquid supply part and sealing off the liquid supply port, the sealing part and the liquid outflow part defining a space therebetween, and a contact part made of a non-porous material, the contact part contacting with a part of the liquid outflow part.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cover configured to be mounted onto a liquid storage container that includes
a liquid storage part configured to store a liquid for supply to a liquid jet apparatus,
a liquid supply part having a liquid supply port that defines an opening by which the liquid is supplied to the liquid jet apparatus from the liquid storage part, and
a liquid outflow part made of a porous material, the liquid outflow part being disposed inside of the liquid supply port so as to protrude out with respect to an inner wall of the liquid supply port and allowing the liquid to flow out to the liquid jet apparatus from the liquid storage part,

the cover being further configured to block off the liquid supply port, the cover comprising:
a sealing part contacting with the liquid supply part and sealing off the liquid supply port in a state where the cover is mounted onto the liquid storage container, the sealing part and the liquid outflow part defining a space therebetween; and
a contact part made of a non-porous material, the contact part having an inclined part that is inclined with respect to a middle part of the liquid outflow part and contacts with a protruding side surface of the liquid outflow part in the state where the cover is mounted onto the liquid storage container.

2. The cover according to claim 1 , wherein
the liquid supply part of the liquid storage container further has a communication port that communicates between the space and the air in the state where the cover is mounted onto the liquid storage container, and
the contact part contacts with a site on the communication port side in the liquid outflow part in the state where the cover is mounted onto the liquid storage container.

3. The cover according to claim 2 , wherein
the liquid supply part of the liquid storage container further has a welded part that surrounds the liquid outflow part, the welded part being obtained when the porous material is welded,
the contact part projects out from the sealing part, the contact part further having
an upper part that is connected to the inclined part and defines a top of the contact part, and

the upper part has a groove that extends from the communication port side to the inclined part side.

4. The cover according to claim 1 , wherein
the liquid supply part of the liquid storage container has a welded part that is obtained when the porous material is welded, and
the contact part has a facing part that faces the welded part in the state where the cover is mounted onto the liquid storage container.

5. The cover according to claim 4 , wherein
the facing part contacts with the welded part in the state where the cover is mounted onto the liquid storage container.

6. The cover according to claim 4 , wherein
the facing part and the welded part define a space therebetween where a capillary force going toward the liquid outflow part is made to act on the liquid that is present between the facing part and the welded part in the state where the cover is mounted onto the liquid storage container.

7. The cover according to claim 1 , wherein
the liquid supply part of the liquid storage container has a welded part that is obtained when the porous material is welded,
the cover further comprising a surrounding part that contacts with the welded part and surrounds the liquid outflow part in the state where the cover is mounted onto the liquid storage container,
the surrounding part having an opening that links inside of the surrounding part to the air in the state where the cover is mounted onto the liquid storage container.

8. A liquid storage container comprising:
a liquid storage part configured to store a liquid for supply to a liquid jet apparatus;
a liquid supply part having a liquid supply port that defines an opening by which the liquid is supplied to the liquid jet apparatus from the liquid storage part;
a liquid outflow part made of a porous material, the liquid outflow part being disposed inside of the liquid supply port so as to protrude out with respect to an inner wall of the liquid supply port and allowing the liquid to flow out to the liquid jet apparatus from the liquid storage part; and
a cover blocking off the liquid supply port, the cover including
a sealing part contacting with the liquid supply part and sealing off the liquid supply port, the sealing part and the liquid outflow part defining a space therebetween, and
a contact part made of a non-porous material, the contact part having an inclined part that is inclined with respect to a middle part of the liquid outflow part and contacts with a protruding side surface of the liquid outflow part.

9. The liquid storage container according to claim 8 , wherein
the liquid supply part further has a communication port that communicates between the space and the air, and
the contact part contacts with a site on the communication port side in the liquid outflow part.

10. The liquid storage container according to claim 9 , wherein
the liquid supply part further has a welded part that surrounds the liquid outflow part, the welded part being obtained when the porous material is welded,
the contact part projects out from the sealing part, the contact part further having
an upper part that is connected to the inclined part and defines a top of the contact part, and

the upper part has a groove that extends from the communication port side to the inclined part side.

11. The liquid storage container according to claim 8 , wherein
the liquid supply part has a welded part that is obtained when the porous material is welded, and
the contact part has a facing part that faces the welded part.

12. The liquid storage container according to claim 11 , wherein
the facing part contacts with the welded part.

13. The liquid storage container according to claim 11 , wherein
the facing part and the welded part define a space therebetween where a capillary force going toward the liquid outflow part is made to act on the liquid that is present between the facing part and the welded part.

14. The liquid storage container according to claim 8 , wherein
the liquid supply part has a welded part that is obtained when the porous material is welded,
the cover further includes a surrounding part that contacts with the welded part and surrounds the liquid outflow part, and
the surrounding part has an opening that links inside of the surrounding part to the air.

15. A cover configured to be mounted onto a liquid storage container that includes
an outer casing including a wall,
a liquid storage part provided inside of the outer casing and configured to store a liquid,
a liquid supply part having a cylindrical shape and projecting out in a direction from the wall, and
a filter configured to allow the liquid to flow out from the liquid storage part to a liquid jet apparatus, the filter being welded to an inside of the liquid supply part at a welded part, the filter including a first surface and a second surface, the first surface and the second surface being protruded out to the direction from the welded part, the second surface being inclined to the direction and connecting the first surface and the welded part,
the cover comprising:
a sealing part contacting with the liquid supply part and sealing off the filter in a state where the cover is mounted onto the liquid storage container, the sealing part and the filter defining a space therebetween; and
a contact part made of a non-porous material, the contact part including an inclined part inclined to the direction, the inclined part contacting with the s

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Mizutani Tadahiro
• Toba Koichi
• Kobayashi Atsushi

Classifications

• B41J2/17536 Primary

  Protection of cartridges or parts thereof, e.g. tape · CPC title

• B41J2/17553

  Outer structure · CPC title

• B41J2/17556

  Means for regulating the pressure in the cartridge · CPC title

• B41J2/1753

  Details of contacts on the cartridge, e.g. protection of contacts · CPC title

• B41J2/17513

  Inner structure · CPC title